If your kids wake up at the crack of dawn when visiting...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds pretty selfish. My siblings get up early, make coffee and enjoy time with their nieces/nephews! Often we are pushed back to bed to relax and parents/siblings cover the kids.

This! What's the point of visiting these people if they don't want to interact with your young children, OP?

Staying home is your best option, but if you feel you MUST go, then get your own Airbnb or something. This doesn't sound like any fun. Plus, saying your "baby was really bad over Thanksgiving" is kind of a rough indictment for a 1-year-old.

you are nuts. Grandma does not have to get up at 5 or 6 to prove their love.

Thanks for weighing in, Grandma. Sounds like you're grouchy and it's time for your nap.

Wench people like to sleep in. Even people who live their family. Hey a dumb A litmus test.

Grandma, we told you that mixing medications with your midrange Chardonnay was a bad idea! You're slurring.

Cringe. You’re embarrassing yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- It's a struggle to leave the house in the morning. Do you keep a suitcase near the door and change in the family room? Changing 3 kids plus myself into clothes, hats, coats, shoes and diapers is really loud. The baby especially sings and is noisy, which would wake the whole house. Being able to watch TV in the mornings would help, but not really since the baby doesn't watch it.

And sorry about saying the baby was bad. Baby isn't bad, just had a bad time sleeping.

This is a really rural area. They don't have hotel suites, just gross Motel 8 style hotels.

I was just curious how everyone handles this. My kids can't be the only ones up at dawn.

I'm one of the get out of the house proponents. I think you just accept the loud for the 15-30 minutes it takes to get out of the house. The kids will have fun at a diner (much more exciting than cold breakfast at home) or make sure you have eat-outdoors breakfast available like muffins or croissants if you can't face going to a diner and just want to let them run around in the yard. If people are giving you a hard time with even a brief spat of noise with three little kids you need to take a break from sharing housing with family on vacation.

Also, my deepest sympathies to you. Travel with multiple kids is super exhausting, especially when they sleep even less than usual. Do you have a partner with you who you could trade off morning duty with? Then each of you could have a chance sleep until 8 or 9 after the kids are out which will make it easier to deal with the subsequent (far too early) morning.

And the relatives who sleep in might need to accept that kids are on a different schedule

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- It's a struggle to leave the house in the morning. Do you keep a suitcase near the door and change in the family room? Changing 3 kids plus myself into clothes, hats, coats, shoes and diapers is really loud. The baby especially sings and is noisy, which would wake the whole house. Being able to watch TV in the mornings would help, but not really since the baby doesn't watch it.

And sorry about saying the baby was bad. Baby isn't bad, just had a bad time sleeping.

This is a really rural area. They don't have hotel suites, just gross Motel 8 style hotels.

I was just curious how everyone handles this. My kids can't be the only ones up at dawn.

I only had one kid but my parents were tolerant and most of in-laws were as well. My sister in law expected my son to be quit - even though she never was willing to be quiet when my son went to bed. I basically refused to go on family vacations when she would be there. Mostly because I was afraid I would tell her off. As my son got older I could appease him with an iPad for a bit to stay quiet.

Why would you need to change in the family room? Are you saying your husband does not let you keep the kids in your room? Or you do not even have a room?

Op here. The floor plan is really bad. All of the bedrooms are together on one side of the house. So if the kids talk or cry (baby) in our room, everyone can hear it. We usually hang out in the other side of the house to be quiet. It’s the worst floor plan ever for kids. We all share one bedroom and the kids are on the floor, which means they get very little sleep. And there are dogs who bark if you try to leave the house or open the front door. I just feel trapped and mean for trying to keep kids quiet in the mornings.

They don’t start breakfast until everyone is awake which drives me crazy and breakfast is big and long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you are being more sensitive than neccessary? Kids make noise. Preferably not at 530am, but 100% definitely before 10am. Lay clothes out the night before and hustle the kids in to the car. Adults can go back to sleep after your 15 minutes of loudness getting kids out the door. Drive to a restaurant or play zone. Put the winter clothes in the car the night before and bundle them once you're out the door and find a place to walk around outside. Then when you get home they can take warm baths and eat 2nd breakfast.

I would aim to keep the kids quiet until 730 but would feel zero guilt after that. Anyone who complains is not worth your time.

I remember my mom putting out plastic spoons with cereal when we stayed with my grandparents because apparently the metal spoons were too loud.... 30 years later I'm still kind of offended by that! A grown adult should accept that little kids are noisy and plan for it. They can wear earplugs.

You’re offended by plastic spoons??? Why would you think adults want to be woken up by kids smacking the bowls with their spoons? It’s so selfish. Your mom was genius for this.

[Anonymous]

Ugh that sounds hard, op. I wish you could be the type that does your best but doesn't stress about it. But I know I would stress too!

I think I would have jackets by the door. Kids wake up, you bring them in PJs and wet diapers to get coats on and get into the car. Then you drive somewhere for a bit listening to music. Pack some mini cereal boxes so they can snack. Not sure what the 1 year old eats yet. Is it just you or do you have a spouse?

Drive till 8 and then come home. Honestly it's weird for adults to expect complete quiet from kids until 10 am, even before I had kids this wouldn't have been an issue

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your family sounds pretty selfish. My siblings get up early, make coffee and enjoy time with their nieces/nephews! Often we are pushed back to bed to relax and parents/siblings cover the kids.

This! What's the point of visiting these people if they don't want to interact with your young children, OP?

Staying home is your best option, but if you feel you MUST go, then get your own Airbnb or something. This doesn't sound like any fun. Plus, saying your "baby was really bad over Thanksgiving" is kind of a rough indictment for a 1-year-old.

you are nuts. Grandma does not have to get up at 5 or 6 to prove their love.

Thanks for weighing in, Grandma. Sounds like you're grouchy and it's time for your nap.

Wench people like to sleep in. Even people who live their family. Hey a dumb A litmus test.

[Anonymous]

It's vacation! Up at 5 am! Breakfast, showers, necessary chores, then to the beach before the crowds!
You can sleep at home!

[Anonymous]

I don’t try to keep mine quiet. It’s impossible with a toddler and a waste of effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- It's a struggle to leave the house in the morning. Do you keep a suitcase near the door and change in the family room? Changing 3 kids plus myself into clothes, hats, coats, shoes and diapers is really loud. The baby especially sings and is noisy, which would wake the whole house. Being able to watch TV in the mornings would help, but not really since the baby doesn't watch it.

And sorry about saying the baby was bad. Baby isn't bad, just had a bad time sleeping.

This is a really rural area. They don't have hotel suites, just gross Motel 8 style hotels.

I was just curious how everyone handles this. My kids can't be the only ones up at dawn.

I only had one kid but my parents were tolerant and most of in-laws were as well. My sister in law expected my son to be quit - even though she never was willing to be quiet when my son went to bed. I basically refused to go on family vacations when she would be there. Mostly because I was afraid I would tell her off. As my son got older I could appease him with an iPad for a bit to stay quiet.

Why would you need to change in the family room? Are you saying your husband does not let you keep the kids in your room? Or you do not even have a room?

Op here. The floor plan is really bad. All of the bedrooms are together on one side of the house. So if the kids talk or cry (baby) in our room, everyone can hear it. We usually hang out in the other side of the house to be quiet. It’s the worst floor plan ever for kids. We all share one bedroom and the kids are on the floor, which means they get very little sleep. And there are dogs who bark if you try to leave the house or open the front door. I just feel trapped and mean for trying to keep kids quiet in the mornings.

They don’t start breakfast until everyone is awake which drives me crazy and breakfast is big and long.

Oh, hell no. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze. Just stay home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you are being more sensitive than neccessary? Kids make noise. Preferably not at 530am, but 100% definitely before 10am. Lay clothes out the night before and hustle the kids in to the car. Adults can go back to sleep after your 15 minutes of loudness getting kids out the door. Drive to a restaurant or play zone. Put the winter clothes in the car the night before and bundle them once you're out the door and find a place to walk around outside. Then when you get home they can take warm baths and eat 2nd breakfast.

I would aim to keep the kids quiet until 730 but would feel zero guilt after that. Anyone who complains is not worth your time.

I remember my mom putting out plastic spoons with cereal when we stayed with my grandparents because apparently the metal spoons were too loud.... 30 years later I'm still kind of offended by that! A grown adult should accept that little kids are noisy and plan for it. They can wear earplugs.

You’re offended by plastic spoons??? Why would you think adults want to be woken up by kids smacking the bowls with their spoons? It’s so selfish. Your mom was genius for this.

Kids smack the bowls with their spoons? Were they raised in a barn?

[Anonymous]

You really need to stop worrying so much.

Some tips - get air mattresses so your kids aren’t directly on the floor. Noise machine to help your kids sleep a little longer.

When your kids get up, get up and start the day. Stop stressing. Get them dressed, go to the kitchen and make breakfast. Eat what you want when you want it. Have it all ready for everyone else when they get up. If anyone gets upset pretend you don’t understand why and just say that it was no problem - act like you think they think it was an imposition on you.

Bring a pad that your kids can watch in the kitchen for a while so they won’t get crazy loud.

If people complain, use your words. Ask them for suggestions on how to keep the kids asleep/quiet/etc. Ask them if they care more about sleep or more about you visiting because it’s one or the other.

If none of that works, just stay home for a few years until your kids are all older.